Going Beyond Cataract Camps

ESCRS expanding treatment opportunities in underserved areas.

Last June, three people sat under a tree in a village in a remote region of Mozambique, in southeastern Africa. They spoke with community leaders about the importance of eye care and how it should be accessible to everyone.

Author: Laura Gaspari

Tablao Debates: Cataract-Refractive Edition

Lively debate format pairs EDOF lenses with trifocals in a dance for first prize in surgery choice.

You could almost see the heel sparks as Team Abanico and Team Castañuelas pounded the Tablao platform over one of the searing questions in cataract refractive surgery—extended depth of focus (EDOF) lenses or trifocals as the first choice?

Author: Howard Larkin

Phakic IOLs for Myopia and Presbyopia

Many options for patients under age 60.

For many myopic patients with presbyopia, phakic intraocular lenses (PIOL) may be a better surgical option than laser refractive procedures or crystalline lens replacement. PIOLs, including iris claw and posterior chamber lenses, are reversible and avoid several potential complications of irreversible alternatives...

Author: Howard Larkin

Effect of COVID-19 and Vaccine on Retinal Disease

Registry-based studies indicate risk for retinal vascular occlusions have not increased.

Multiple cases, case series, and cohort studies report the development of retinal disease after COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccination, and knowledge that COVID-19 can cause vascular damage and coagulopathy provides biologic plausibility implicating the infection and vaccination in these events.

Author: Cheryl Guttman Krader

ESCRS Accepting Applications for Peter Barry Fellowship

Setting Limits for PRK and LASIK

Clinical evaluation and personal judgment come into play.

Photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) and laser-assisted in-situ keratomileusis (LASIK) are two of the oldest and most common refractive surgeries. But just because surgeons can use them doesn’t mean they should, especially when other treatment options exist...

Author: Howard Larkin

Advances in Adaptive Optics

New tools allow better preoperative prediction and greater customisation.

Cataract and refractive surgery can be even more customisable, increasing performance and visual results at all distances when adding a correct prediction of the patient’s visual experience to the formula...

Author: Timothy Norris

Real-World Strategies for New Tech Adoption

Step by step real-world experience shows improvement in clinical outcomes.

Successful implementation of new technology in the operating theatre requires preset goals, teamwork, and communication with manufacturers.

Author: Timothy Norris

Overcoming Barriers to Presbyopic IOL Uptake

Improving technology, patient and doctor awareness, and reimbursement are keys.

Nearly half of cataract and refractive surgeons either don’t implant presbyopia-correcting intraocular lenses or do so in less than 6% of cases. Yet 80% will see their usage increasing...

Author: Howard Larkin

Battling Bias in Science

Hidden biases in science impact careers and patient care.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are hot topics in many fields, but why are they so important in science?

Author: Lauren Blanchard

Training in the Digital Era

AI-powered, cloud-based system can effectively improve traineeship, save time, and increase performance.

Every good trainee aims at getting better, improving efficiency through practice and emulation of a mentor. A new software option may help reduce the time-consuming limitations of current technology.

Author: Timothy Norris

Treating Myopia, Inside and Outside

Lifestyle changes and ophthalmic interventions play a role in treating paediatric myopia.

Combining behavioural interventions, such as ensuring children spend at least 2 hours a day outside, with optical or pharmaceutical treatments may do a better job of preventing and slowing childhood myopia than relying on a single treatment.

Author: Howard Larkin

ESCRS Research Projects Make a Difference

EPICAT study continues tradition of practice-changing clinical studies.

A dropless strategy with a subconjunctival 10 mg triamcinolone injection is very likely to become a standard procedure for the prevention of cystoid macular oedema (CME) after cataract surgery, with the potential to improve patient outcomes and save millions of euros in healthcare costs, as shown by EPICAT preliminary results.

Author: Timothy Norris

The Promises and Pitfalls of AI

While AI shows potential in healthcare, experts agree it requires bias mitigation and human oversight.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has immense potential to improve healthcare efficiency and address existing inequities. At the 2024 ESCRS Annual Congress in Barcelona, experts gathered to discuss concerns surrounding AI adoption as well as how this rapidly evolving technology can support the healthcare field.

Author: Lauren Blanchard

Visual Rehabilitation for Keratoconus

Concepts regarding best techniques shift based on learnings from longer follow-up.

Long-term follow-up of patients with keratoconus treated with combined corneal cross-linking (CXL) and excimer laser surface ablation is causing Paolo Vinciguerra MD to raise a red flag and caution colleagues and patients about the potential for massive corneal flattening as a late-onset occurrence.

Author: Cheryl Guttman Krader

Discovering Prodygy and Nirvana

New gene-agnostic treatments for inheritable retinal disease.

A new gene-agnostic therapy called SPVN06 (SparingVision) has shown favourable safety and tolerability profiles in patients with retinitis pigmentosa in the Phase I/II PRODYGY clinical trial.

Author: Roibeard O’hEineachain

Cataract Surgery in Eyes with Corneal Disease

Applying information from preoperative diagnostics guides surgical planning.

Cataract surgeons operating on eyes with corneal disease need to understand how different abnormalities impact quality and quantity of vision.

Author: Cheryl Guttman Krader